2nd December, 2024
President Joe Biden made a historic and contentious decision on Sunday by granting a pardon to his son, Hunter Biden, who faced sentencing for federal tax evasion and firearm-related convictions.
The move, which erases Hunter’s criminal record, marks the first time in U.S. history a sitting president has pardoned their child.
Hunter Biden’s legal troubles included a guilty plea in September to nine federal tax charges, stemming from $1.4 million in unpaid taxes between 2016 and 2019.
He had also been convicted in June for illegally possessing a firearm while using drugs, a charge that carried a potential 25-year sentence.
Biden’s decision comes despite his earlier assurances that he would not intervene in his son’s legal matters.
On Sunday, however, the president justified the pardon, stating, “Politics has infected this process, leading to a miscarriage of justice,” echoing rhetoric often associated with former President Donald Trump.
The pardon has sparked polarising reactions. Trump, now president-elect, condemned the act as an “abuse and miscarriage of justice,” while Republicans accused Biden of hypocrisy and dishonesty. Critics have likened Biden’s reasoning to Trump’s frequent denunciations of the justice system.
This is not the first instance of a U.S. president pardoning a family member. Bill Clinton pardoned his half-brother for drug offences, while Donald Trump pardoned Charles Kushner, his son-in-law’s father, for tax evasion, witness tampering, and illegal campaign contributions.
Presidential historian Alexis Coe criticised Biden’s action, stating, “The pardon was intended as a last resort for those failed by the system, not as a ‘get-out-of-jail-free card’ for family members.”
Coe warned that this act risks normalising pardons as privileges for the well-connected.
Hunter Biden’s legal troubles involved millions in income from foreign business dealings between 2016 and 2019.
Court records revealed that his earnings were spent on drugs, escorts, and luxury goods, with fraudulent claims categorising them as business expenses.
The president’s pardon raises questions about the ethical boundaries of executive clemency and its implications for justice and governance.
As Biden prepares to leave office, the controversial decision continues to ignite debates over fairness and the misuse of presidential power.